We love powerful cars. When we discuss cars in general some of the most important figures, at least in our minds, typically include the horsepower, torque, top speed, quarter mile time, time to reach sixty mph and much more to do with the power, speed and performance of the vehicle. Not often do we hold back on a car and ask it to go slower, in fact we are constantly looking for new ways to pull more power out of an engine in order to bring about the best we can get and see just what more power will do. Strange as it might be, some cars just might have too much power for their own good; here are some examples to give you an idea:
Ariel Atom – The Atom ends up being the basis for a wide variety of kit cars that are built. When you think of a kit car you probably want to have one that is sporty and powerful, which is why this is the car to start the build. The Atom is extremely light and incredibly fast. This little car can give you as much as 500 horsepower in the Atom 500 or bring you 360 horsepower in the Atom 3S, making this one of the cars that just might need more to it to make the right use of that massive power.
Caterham Superlight 620R – This is another super light car and the Caterham philosophy is to continue to add lightness to the car, which sounds ludicrous. This car shows up with amazing power and a very low weight and is built off the Lotus Seven which was already an extremely light car. The R500 was fast to start with but the addition of a supercharger to create the 620R makes this an even faster car that hasn’t gained much weight at all, making it a lot of fun to drive but certainly not the safest machine on the track.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – This production car might surprise you, but if you aren’t careful this car will get away from you in a hurry. Chevrolet did everything possible to make this car easier to handle, which certainly plays well on the track, but if you are used to the Corvettes that carries only about 350 horsepower this will be one that takes a bit to get used to and brings about some of the best driving on the track once you learn to harness this awesome power.
Dodge Hellcats – These two, the Challenger and Charger, have become the talk of the automotive world since their unveiling. They give us a massive amount of power, 707 horsepower to be precise and offer a fantastic sprint time. In true muscle car style these two are great for burnouts and are trouble on the track as the handling will take some work to get used to, but where else can you get this amount of horsepower from a pair of cars that look like they came right out of the 1970s?
Ferrari F12tdf – When it’s your first time behind the wheel of a Ferrari this might not be the one to start with. Giving you 770 horsepower and the ability to reach sixty mph in less than three seconds you will certainly have on the fastest cars on the road or track today, but can you handle it. Ferrari did put every control feature in place that you can imagine to ensure you will have the car you want to drive and the performance you need, but if you have never harnessed this much power this is a car you want to approach with caution.
Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG – An SUV on this list might surprise you and the fact that it’s the G-Class top player may be even more shocking. This SUV looks like it is out of place with its boxy and square shape that is powered by a huge 6.0-liter V12 that gives you 621 horsepower and 738 lb.-ft. of torque but all this power makes sense in some of the more rugged off road areas. Certainly you should not bring this vehicle to the track, but rather enjoy it as you climb rocks and mountains together with a brute that will never let you down when it comes to power.
Tesla Model S P90D – You might not ever expect an electric car to make this list, but why not? It seems an electric car can certainly have more power than just about any other because adding power is so easy to do. At 762 horsepower and instant torque this beauty will reach sixty mph in less than three seconds and offer you the enjoyment of AWD to help tame this beast. This is a car you buy to heat out to the track and show off in front of your sports car owning buddies with their roaring engines that are nowhere near as quiet as this electric perfection.
Well, even though these seven vehicles aren’t necessary overpowered they might be more than most drivers can handle. Does that mean you shouldn’t own one; not at all. Instead what you need to do is buy one and work your way up to being able to harness the power of these awesome engines to see what it’s like to really drive a high powered machine that is meant to capture attention and win our hearts and minds.
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